modified game of twenty-one having modified limits and payouts and method of playing

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprises: placing a first minimum wager within a table limit, the first minimum wager establishing a minimum wager and a maximum wager the player may bet until all of the playing cards have been played and the playing cards are reshuffled and the minimum first wager for the next round is to be placed; dealing a first player card face-up to all players; dealing a first dealer card face-up to a dealer; dealing a second player card face-up to all players; performing one of the following steps by each player: take another playing card which is dealt face-up, holding and taking no more playing cards, increase the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager and taking only one more playing card which is dealt face-up, and splitting the first and second player card to form two separate playing hands and increasing the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager; dealing a second dealer card; and determining a winning hand.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to a playing card game, and more specifically, to a playing card wagering game that may be played with one or more standard deck of playing cards or by video machine technology wherein all playing cards are dealt face-up and played and having modified player set beating limits within the table limits and payouts.

Twenty-one or blackjack has been a popular card game for many years. Twenty-one is a standard table game in most casinos. The popularity of this game is due in large part to the fact that it is easy to play, there is very little strategy that needs to be learned, and the players have a better chance of beating the house then in other table games at the casino. The card game twenty-one is described in several U.S. Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,789 issued to LeVasseur and U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,353 issued to Demarest et al., both disclose how to play the standard method of playing twenty-one.

In most casinos, the player's cards are dealt face down and the playing cards are reshuffled once the blank card used to cut the playing card has been reached. This is done to prevent the players from card counting. Card counting is a strategy used to determine when a player has a probability advantage. In card counting, a player will try and track the ratio of high cards to low cards. The principle behind counting cards in twenty-one is that a deck of cards with a high proportion of high cards (ten-valued cards and aces) to low cards is good for the player, is good for the dealer. A deck rich in tens and aces improves the player's odds because obtaining twenty-one becomes more common, the dealer is more likely to bust a stiff hand, and double-downs are more successful. Card counting is prohibited from casinos since it increases the odds of the player beating the casino.

Another drawback of current twenty-one games is there are limited payouts. Payouts are given when the player beats the dealer and the player reaches 21/backjack.

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a card game and method that overcomes the above problems.

SUMMARY

A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprises: placing a first minimum wager within a table limit, the first minimum wager establishing a minimum wager and a maximum wager the player may bet until all of the playing cards have been played and the playing cards are reshuffled and the minimum first wager for the next round is to be placed; dealing a first player card face-up to all players; dealing a first dealer card face-up to a dealer; dealing a second player card face-up to all players; performing one of the following steps by each player: take another playing card which is dealt face-up, holding and taking no more playing cards, increase the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager and taking only one more playing card which is dealt face-up, and splitting the first and second player card to form two separate playing hands and increasing the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager; dealing a second dealer card; and determining a winning hand.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the disclosure or may be combined in yet other embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a method of playing a modified version of twenty-one according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the Figure, a modified version of the card game twenty-one will be disclosed. The card game is played with a standard deck of playing cards. Any number of decks of playing cards may be used. The playing cards will generally be shuffled. For security purposes in a gambling establishment, the playing cards may be placed in a card dealer shoe.

In the present card game, all the playing cards will be dealt before the playing cards will be reshuffled. In current versions of twenty-one, the playing cards are generally cut by a player who places a blank card in the stack of playing cards. Once the blank card is reached, the playing cards are reshuffled at the end of the round. This is done to prevent players from card counting. Since all the playing cards will be dealt before the playing cards will be reshuffled, the modified version of the card game twenty-one allow skillful players to have a better opportunity to win.

In order to play, each player must place a minimum first wager. The minimum first wager can be any amount of money within the table limits established by the gambling establishment. However, the first minimum wager placed by the player will establish the minimum wager and maximum wager the player may bet until all of the playing cards have been played and the playing cards are reshuffled and the minimum first wager for the next round is to be placed.

As an example, if the table limit is $500 and a player places a first minimum wager of $200, then that player's minimum bet is set at $200 and the player's maximum bet is set at $400. Thus, the player's maximum bet is set at two times the first minimum wager and the player must bet a minimum of $200 each round until all of the playing cards have been played and the playing cards are reshuffled and the first wager for the next round is to be placed. The player at this time may change the first minimum wager to another value such as $100. Other proportions may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, a ratio of 3 to one may be used where the maximum bet is three times the first minimum wager or four to one, etc.

Once each player has placed a first minimum wager, a dealer will deal one playing card face up to each player. The dealer also deals one playing card face up to himself. The players may take insurance no matter what playing card the dealer is dealt. The player who is taking insurance is betting that the dealer will obtain a specific hand/total. More specifically, the player is taking insurance that the dealer will have a total value of playing cards equal to 21. The payout is 2:1 if the player wins. A second playing card is then dealt to each player face-up.

Any player before acting on his/her hand and after seeing the dealer's first playing card may elect not to continue playing the present round. In this case, the player may elect to take back one-half of his/her first minimum wager amount. The player will then automatically lose the other half of the first minimum wager amount. In the example above, if the player placed a first minimum wager of $200 and elected not to play the round, the player may take back $100 and pay the bank $100 to not play the rest of the round.

If the dealer is dealt an ace, two, three, four or five, the dealer will then deal himself a second playing card face-up. However, as stated above, any player after seeing the dealer's first playing card may elect not to continue playing the present round. This is done before the dealer will deal himself a second playing card face-up.

If the dealer's first playing card is a six, seven, eight, nine, ten, jack, queen or king, each player must decided if he/she will continue to play. If the player elects to continue to play, the present card game is played in a similar manner to prior art games of twenty-one. The player's options for playing his or her hand are: (1) Hit: The player take another playing card which is dealt face-up. The player make continue to take additional playing cards, all of which are dealt face-up, until the player stands or bust (i.e., exceeds the total value of twenty-one). (2) Stand: The player will take no more playing cards. (3) Double down: The player will increase the wager to a maximum of double the original bet and take exactly one more playing card which is dealt face-up. The player can double down on any playing card value. For example, if the player's original bet was $200, the player could increase the bet by up to an additional $200, for a new total bet of up to $400. Increasing the wager to less than twice the original bet is called “double down for less”. (4) Split: The player will double the initial wager and have each playing card be the first playing card in a new hand. This option is available only when both playing cards have the same rank.

In a similar manner, if the dealer is dealt an ace, two, three, four or five, and the player elects to continue to play, the dealer will deal himself a second playing card face-up. Each player must then choose one of the player's options for playing his or her hand. Thus, the player must (1) Hit, (2) Stand, (3) Double down, or (4) Split as disclosed above.

The player's turn is over after deciding to stand, doubling down to take a single playing card, or busting. If the player busts, he or she loses the bet even if the dealer goes on to bust. Once each player's turn is over and each players has finished making their decisions, the dealer will deal another playing card to himself if the first playing card the dealer was dealt was greater than a five and not an ace. House rules say that the dealer must hit until he or she has at least 17, regardless of what the players have. In some casinos a dealer must also hit a soft 17 (a combination of playing cards adding up to either 7 or 17, such as an ace and a 6)

Payouts in the current card game are different from the prior art. If the dealer busts then all remaining players win and are paid one to one. Players who push (tie) with the dealer receive their original bet back. If the player's hand is greater then the dealers and both the player did not bust, the payout is also one to one. If the player obtains “Black Jack”, the payout is 3 to 2. The above are similar to current twenty-one games.

However, the present game has several bonus situations. If the player has hit 3 or 4 times and has a five or six playing card hand that has a total value of twenty-one, the player wins a payout of 3 to 2. If the player hits 5 or more times and has a seven or more playing card hand that has a total value of twenty-one, the player wins a payout of 3 to 1 or a Double Blackjack Payout.

The present card game is a game of skill. Since all cards will be played face-up and all playing cards are played before reshuffling, the modified version of the card game twenty-one allow skillful players to have a better opportunity to win by card counting. The present card game further allows players to set their own beating limits within the limits of the table.

However, the limits may be modified by agreement of management and players. For example, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, if a player loses his maximum bet, the player may double the next bet. If the player again loses, the player may double the last bet again. This may continue for a total of four times. If the player's hand is a Blackjack or a six or more card hand having a total card value of twenty-one, the player wins a payout of 3 to 2. After the player loses a total of four straight times each time doubling the previous maximum bet, the player may continue to double the previous maximum bet, but will only be paid even money.

For example, the player has a minimum bet set at $200 and a maximum bet set at two times the minimum which would be $400. The player bets and loses $400, then $800, then $1600, and then $3200. The player would have received 3 to 2 on the above bets if he had Blackjack or a six or more card hand having a total card value of twenty-one on any of the above bets. If after losing the fourth time the player decides to bet $6400 and wins, the player only receives even money even if the player has Blackjack or a six or more card hand having a total card value of twenty-one. If the player loses the $6400 hand, the player may continue to double the previous bet till the player wins a hand or the player quits. However, as soon as the player wins a hand, the player must go back to his original minimum/maximum bet (i.e., he must bet a minimum of $200 and no more then $400).

While embodiments of the disclosure have been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims. 

1. A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprising: placing a first minimum wager within a table limit by each player, the first minimum wager establishing a minimum wager and a maximum wager each player may bet each round, the minimum wager and maximum wager being changeable only upon all of the playing cards being played and the playing cards are reshuffled and the minimum first wager for the next round with the reshuffled playing cards is to be placed, wherein the minimum wager is equal to the first minimum wager and wherein the maximum wager being a predetermined positive integer multiple of 2 or higher of the first minimum wager; dealing a first player card face-up to all players; dealing a first deal card face-up to a dealer; dealing a second player card face-up to all players; performing one of the following action steps by each player: take another playing card which is dealt face-up, holding and taking no more playing cards, increase the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager and taking only one more playing card which is dealt face-up, and splitting the first and second player card to form two separate playing hands and increasing the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager; dealing a second dealer card; and determining a winning hand.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising dealing the second dealer card face-up to the dealer prior to each player performing one of the action steps if the first dealer card is one of an ace, two, three, four or five, the dealer will then deal himself a second playing card faceup.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein performing one of the following action steps by each player further comprises electing not to play the current round by the player after seeing the first dealer card.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein electing not to play the current round by the player after seeing the first dealer card further comprises taking back one-half of the first minimum wager amount and paying one-half to a bank.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising paying a payout of 3 to 2 for one of a five or six playing card hand by the player having a total value of twenty-one.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising paying a payout of 3 to 1 for one of a seven or more playing card hand by the player having a total value of twenty-one.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising taking insurance by the player that the dealer will have a deal hand of one of Blackjack or dealer card hand having a total value of twenty-one.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the insurance pays 2 to
 1. 9. The method of claim 1 wherein all the playing cards are to be dealt prior to reshuffling the playing cards.
 10. A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprising: placing a first minimum wager within a table limit, the first minimum wager establishing a minimum wager and a maximum wager the player may bet until all of the playing cards have been played and the playing cards are reshuffled and the minimum first wager for the next round is to be placed; dealing a first player card faceup to all players; dealing a first deal card faceup to a dealer; dealing a second player card face-up to all players; performing one of the following action steps by each player: take another playing card which is dealt face-up, holding and taking no more playing cards, increase the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager and taking only one more playing card which is dealt face-up, and splitting the first and second player card to form two separate playing hands and increasing the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager; dealing a second dealer card; and determining a winning hand; wherein all the playing cards are to be dealt prior to reshuffling the playing cards.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising dealing the second dealer card face-up to the dealer prior to each player performing one of the action steps if the first dealer card is one of an ace, two, three, four or five, the dealer will then deal himself a second playing card face-up.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein performing one of the following action steps by each player further comprises electing not to play the current round by the player after seeing the first dealer card.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein electing not to play the current round by the player after seeing the first dealer card further comprises taking back one-half of the first minimum wager amount and paying one-half to a bank.
 14. The method of claim 10 further comprising paying a payout of 3 to 2 for one of a five or six playing card hand by the player having a total value of twenty-one.
 15. The method of claim 10 further comprising paying a payout of 3 to 1 for one of a seven or more playing card hand by the player having a total value of twenty-one.
 16. The method of claim 10 further comprising taking insurance by the player that the dealer will have a deal hand of one of Blackjack or dealer card hand having a total value of twenty-one wherein the insurance pays 2 to
 1. 17. (canceled)
 18. A method of playing a playing card wagering game comprising: placing a first minimum wager within a table limit, the first minimum wager establishing a minimum wager and a maximum wager the player may bet each round until all of the playing cards have been played and the playing cards are reshuffled and the minimum first wager for a new round with the reshuffled playing cards is to be placed; dealing a first player card face-up to all players; dealing a first deal card face-up to a dealer; dealing a second player card face-up to all players; performing one of the following action steps by each player: take another playing card which is dealt face-up, holding and taking no more playing cards, increase the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager and taking only one more playing card which is dealt face-up, and splitting the first and second player card to form two separate playing hands and increasing the first minimum wager to double the first minimum wager, and electing not to play the current round by the player after seeing the first dealer card; dealing a second dealer card; and determining a winning hand; wherein dealing the second dealer card face-up to the dealer prior to each player performing one of the action steps if the first dealer card is one of an ace, two, three, four or five, the dealer will then deal himself a second playing card face-up; wherein all the playing cards are to be dealt prior to reshuffling the playing cards; wherein the player is allowed to make a consecutive wager that is double the maximum wager placed on an immediately previous losing hand regardless of the table limit, and wherein the player is allowed to double a losing consecutive wager on additional hands for each consecutive losing hand until the player achieves a winning hand, and wherein a winning hand following four or more losing consecutive wagers wherein the player has doubled a previous wager for each losing hand is paid even money.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising taking insurance by the player that the dealer will have a deal hand of one of Blackjack or dealer card hand having a total value of twenty-one.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein electing not to play the current round by the player after seeing the first dealer card further comprises taking back one-half of the first minimum wager amount and paying one-half to a bank.
 21. The method of claim 1 wherein the player is allowed to make a consecutive wager that is double the maximum wager placed on an immediately previous losing hand regardless of the table limit, and wherein the player is allowed to double a losing consecutive wager on additional hands for each consecutive losing hand until the player achieves a winning hand, and wherein a winning hand following four or more losing consecutive wagers wherein the player has doubled a previous wager for each losing hand is paid even money. 